High Courts have gone against the might rich and politically powerful
individuals.
Over the past several years , not only people had given up police
system along with government bodies but also they had left hopes of a
timely justice. Almost everyday there were cases where people with
moneyand or political power would commit crimes -rapes, murders,
extortions, financial scams and most probably no police case would be
registered against them(as the police would be bribed). In the rare
event a case does get registered, the judicial system will take
decades to get verdict out.
But recently it seems to have changed. Within a matter of few months
several critical judgements have come: First was the ruling in the
Priyadarshani Matto rape and murder trial which was delivered on Oct
31 after 11 yrs of the crime. Read more:
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?template=mattoo
Then came the punishment of life sentence to Shibu Soren's who is a
Member of Parliament (MP) for murdering his own secretary. Read more:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2004/07/25/stories/2004072505420100.htm
Then came 3 yrs imprisonment sentence to Navjot Singh Sidhu who is a
BJP MP along with being a big public figure after retiring from a
wonderful cricket career.Read more:
http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/02/stories/2006120212760100.htm
There are two other high profile murder trials going on in New Delhi.
High profile because they involve people who are strong politically as
well as monetarily. Jessica Lal, a model was killed in a Delhi bar in
1999 by the son of a senior Congress politican. On Dec 19, Delhi High
Court overturned lower court's verdict and gave life imprisonment to
Manu Sharma. Before this , the relatives and family had gotten a lot
of public support after this case was repeatedly brought up in media.
Read more: http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=343103&sid=NAT
So it makes me think what has changed recently? Has the Congress
leadership suddenly empowered the judiciary? Has the recent increase
in TV channels and media's new presence and journalism made the system
more transparent ?Or has there is something more grass -root level
explanation as to why very high profile criminals are also being
nabbed and convicted ?
